deal with spending cuts and the debt ceiling debate. whether or not that's it. for the meantime, the markets run a long time just because they are soaking up all the stimulus from the fed. >> a lot of stimulus from the other central banks cutting trase today. greg, you want to get in front of this train and fight the fed? >> yeah, i think that the fed is going to continue pushing pretty hard this year but equity investors have to take a look at what's in the fed's tool backs and realize they have shot every arrow that they have got. they will keep gig qe this year, maybe another $1 trillion but even inside the fed there's doubts about how much more effective will be at this stage, what, with long-term interest rates as low as they are. tomorrow i don't expect any fireworks from them. i'll be interested to see how they characterize the economy, whether they are getting more comfortable with it now that we have the biggest piece of the fiscal cliff out of the way or whether they are still concerned that employment is sluggish an inflation is tracking kind of low. >> yeah. i mean, we ha

brinksmanship that threatens your economic future. congress voted to suspend the debt ceiling for three months and figure out deeper cuts to reduce the deficit. that keeps me employed for a few more months. but even before that deadline hits, again, march 1st will be on us. the so-called sequester deadline. that's a stupid washington name for a stupid and dangerous washington creation. the automatic across the board spending cuts. and then there's another date to worry about, april 15th. not just tax filing day, but the date by which congress has promised to adopt a budget resolution. they've even this time staked their pay on it, agreeing to reach a deal or face suspension of their paychecks until they reach a deal. that might just be enough of a carrot to present a budget that takes on our ballooning deficit. but the battle over that deficit make that recent battle over tax hikes for the rich seem like a friendly game of badminton. big spending cuts are needed and they will hit americans where it hurts. health care, medicare, social security. president obama emboldened by his re-election has already drawn his so-called l

needed to pass the bill. that's because the debt already reached a ceiling of $16.4 trillion set by law. the bill is putting pressure on both chambers of commerce by mid-april. republicans are expected to continue pushing the government to cut the fiscal deficit by reviewing social security spending. the budget is a lingering concern for lawmakers. they must come up with measures to resolve the issues of spending cuts by early march. here in japan the jobless rate in december has gotten worse. the number of jobs on offer for people seeking work has seen the first increase in five months. the latest data from the internal affairs ministry shows unemployment for december was 4.2%. that's up .1 of a point from december. the number of people without a job increased by 70,000 to 27.8 million. those with a job fell 350,000 to 62.6 million. as for the whole of 2012 the job situation improved. the average unemployment rate last year stood at 4.3%. that's down .3 of a point from the previous year. the labor ministry announced that the ratio of job vacancies to seekers improved slightly in de

resolve some of the debt ceiling and some the spending cuts, when you get into some of the fiscal order that you're talking about, you're going to have that weight on it. and even though you have proposed a lot of folks with japan in terms of some of the political leadership, they are still at negative growth with 7%. so now you're up to 50% or so of world gdp that is a drag on the economy. how do you look at the broadest sense of contagion as it relates to emerging market growth, developing country growth, with 50% of world gdp possibly in a situation? >> i think the trade figures tell at all whether you agree with that or not. i think the trade figures show what's happening. and there's no doubt picking one of the countries you mentioned, china. i mean, china for the last 20 years has been double-digit growth. last year they had one of the worst years in recent memory, we will see the final figures coming out. it didn't get below 7% which i view as a hard landing. but when you move from double-digit down to seven something are sent back, and one of the major drivers of that is t

the solution is to believe that by using facts to all of them by cutting down the government. the second problem of the second more and more important problem than just the monitor of the debt ceiling or the fiscal cliff to use the significant force in an economic policy that's five years ago is facing. in terms that you asked me face problems with the service and it's it's. probably you know the lunatic second now this possibility that perhaps not they're all right. still is on. and this is just a byproduct waltz in washington of economics of the kind of false if you emotional for the economy in the right. right token of the economy let's check out the u.s. markets they do remain minutes ago the dow continuing north around hoffer percent that five year high despite u.s. confidence coming out. really knocked by taxes in spots over in washington the games are on the dow thanks to corporate earnings from drug micah finds on energy shows up the lera reporting a twenty fold gain in profit that the two standout stocks to me the nasdaq down a fraction the footsie in london also had a go

debt ceiling or the fiscal cliff i think is a significant force in the role of economic policy that is five years ago if i face a. journalist that you asked me face problems with service and it's it's. probably no you know lunatic aside now this possibility that perhaps not their ally. still is on the take. and this is just a byproduct waltz in washington all the phenomena of the kind of policy you know the most important economy in the world. but without a minus check out the markets us will be able to see they are indeed mixed but the down watch lee continues north actually averaging a five year high and that's despite u.s. confidence coming out. not by taxes and spanks over in washington but gains on the dollar though really thanks to corporate earnings from the likes of drug make a fire which rose two point eight percent of the higher than expected full year profit and energy shares as well collines also having a good session reporting a twenty fold profit so that's why it is half a percent for the dow. started out now the footsie in london as you can see seven tenths of a cent lon

ceiling. by cutting back on capital investment, and not firing people. there was a lot of anecdotal evidence over that, that they were waiting this out. that maybe they thought this time around it was more bluff and bluster than reality that we'd hit the debt ceiling. and that seems to have paid off. people don't -- employers don't like to fire employees. not only because of, you know, being gentle human beings but because it's costly for them to do that. they tried to hold on. what we seemed to be seeing here right now is i held my exuberance last week because i thought it was a one-off seasonal adjustment thing and you do have to be careful in the month of january, as people come off the rolls because of the seasonal hiring. and there's still some reason for skepticism. but staying down at this level for a second week, joe, we've always said 350 was the bottom of the range, and we're putting in a new bottom down there this 330 that you've got to think about. probably payrolls up near 200,000 or above and maybe a faster decline in unemployment than has been factored into the market

and they are not going to raise the debt ceiling ultimately unless they get severe spending cuts and the obama administration is not going to give it to them. and you are going to watch the u.s. do crazy, crazy things this year. >> if you are right on those crazy, crazy things, then the rest of us are in for a dreadful, dread full time? >> dreadful. it is going to be so strange for the richest country on earth to cross their arms and say i'm not paying. imagine crossing your arms. you are going to see it this year. >> reporter: now, we have been asking our guests here for the riskometer. on this side we have is the u.s. a bigger threat to global growth in 2013. on this side the e.u. lutnic thinks the u.s. is by far the bigger. as you look overall most people still seem to believe europe is the biggest threat in 2013. by the way, speet tweet me wher think the biggest threat is. >> very official looking. did you make that yourself? >> don't you mock it? it works and it is doing a good job. >> we will have people tweet you and see what they feel about all of this but a lot of power play

. >> whited lawmakers decided his best to delay the debt ceiling? >> about two weeks ago they tried in 2011 to use the debt and then as a leverage point to force obama to swallow spending cuts. it worked, but it is terribly damaging to the nation's economy and their political capital. with something like 90% in august of 2011 and they recognize this is a bad idea. thing is a pretty bad idea of a downgrade for the first time. they didn't want to do that again, but they didn't want to vote for a thicker national debt either. that doesn't care what their philosophy to pick them up with a strategy and in the meantime we want the senate to pass a budget for 2014 and the law says if either chamber fails a budget, paychecks will be docked. the whole idea is to postpone the economy default situation until the prosecutor at the continuing fight over taxes and then made to a point where both sides are satisfied in the debt limit can be raised again. >> how a template of a increasing the deficit in effect the economy and financial markets? >> where do you know the answer. it's sort of jan at the bill and i went to expect this. when initially proposed, some analysts say it's for uncertain,

default. >> why did lawmakers decide it was best to delay having to debate raising the debt ceiling? >> well, it was a decision by house republican leaders a few weeks ago. they tried in 2011 to use the debt limit as a lynch -- leverage point to force obama to swallow spending u cuts. it worked but -- [inaudible] to something like 9%. and they recognize that it was a bad idea. i mean, gambling with the credit of the united it turned out is a bad idea. we were downgraded for the first time in nation's history. they department want to do that again. like i said, i didn't want to vote for a bigger national debt either. that doesn't fit with their philosophy. they came up with the strategy of saying we're going us is fend. and in the meantime, they want the senate to pass a budget for 2014 and the law salses that -- says that if either chamber fails to adopt a budget by april 15, the paychecks will be docked. the idea of the thing is to postpone the sort of economy raddling default situation until they can prosecute the continuing fight over taxes and spending to a point where, you know, both are satisfied and the debt limit can be raised again. >> economy ragging hue will the temporary delay affect the economy and the financial markets? >> you already know the answer to

it, the house passed a bill yesterday suspending the debt ceiling. here is a baltimore sun piece. also on page 6 of "the baltimore sun" is a picture of john boehner and says -- they show the speaker in a photo saying it would cut the deficit twice as fast as other plants. the speaker is also out there making a speech to the society. the headline basically says this -- his focus is basically to annihilate the republican party. here's a look at you to but. [video clip] >> from what we heard yesterday, it is pretty clear to me -- it should be clear to all you he knows he cannot do any of that as long as the house is controlled by republicans. we are expecting over the next 22 months to be the focus of this administration as they attempt to annihilate the republican party. i do believe that is their goal. and just to shut us into the dustbin of history. host: these were remarks to the ripon society. they go on to write to that the transcripts or accurate, and noted that the speaker regularly attends the event. perhaps we will hear more about this in the days to come. a couple of more calls on the testimony yesterday. kevin is up now. an independent. caller: bush, senior, i wish him all the best. there was a lot of gra

or four months with the debt ceiling. so the sequester is the next thing that republicans -- >> yes, sequester and the budget. and, i don't know what richard things, but my view was -- >> hasn't been a budget in four years -- >> there has been a budget. not a stand-alone budget. they just keep continuing the budget that already exists. >> is that a problem? >> it can be a problem. >> how do you -- >> i think it was -- i blame partisanship in washington. i don't think that's any one person's fault by any means. i think not making the fight about the debt ceiling, which has the unfortunate downside that if you mess it up, the u.s. government defaults, and it's a financial catastrophe, this was a sign of maturity. i think on the republicans' part that let's make it about the budget. so the budget is now going to come to so-called continuing resolution. they're going to have to have a fight about a government shutdown. this is what they should be arguing about. what does the government spend money on? what should it spend money on? how much revenue should be coming in? let's make the ar